A passion for people led us to coffee. While mentoring for Mission St. Louis’ Job & Leadership Training program, our founders recognized a need to connect talented men from under-resourced communities to accessible, dignifying, and wealth-building work opportunities. We started with a simple desire to create new work opportunities, but as we further connected with the many ways that coffee mirrors the beauty of our human diversity, our vision grew. We wanted our brand to be a challenge to St. Louis to break down the ignorance, fear, and tribalism that has caused real hurt and hopelessness in our region. The name “Switch” is a challenge to switch perspectives with someone different than yourself. It is an extension of the idiom “walk a mile in another man’s shoes.” We believe that building stronger communities begins with a healthy understanding of each other’s experiences, challenges, and thinking. “Switch” is also in reference to switching the trajectory of a man’s life by providing dignifying employment that allows him to utilize his God-given abilities.